JUTC apologises for reported mistreatment of disabled
Published:Thursday | November 16, 2023 | 12:07 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Recently, we received complaints from citizens who witnessed the mistreatment of disabled persons who rely on public transportation. The complainants shared myriad examples of mistreatment taking place on multiple public transportation vehicles, including Coaster buses, route taxis, franchise JUTC buses and the Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC) buses. As the leading public transportation provider, the JUTC takes these complaints very seriously and apologises, not only to members of the disabled community who had these negative experiences, but also to the citizens who witnessed the injustices meted to this vulnerable group.
We acknowledge the concerns and we are thankful that the citizens of Jamaica have come to expect better from the JUTC, thereby taking the time to pen their concerns for our immediate action. However, in our attempts to address the concerns by locating the staff member(s) in breach by displaying such behaviour, the information received was too limited to assist us. We are asking commuters and citizens to report incidences involving the JUTC to 876-570-1789 or 1-888-588-2287.
It is important that when these reports are made that sufficient information be provided to hold offending members of the JUTC accountable. As such, having a copy of your ticket is always good – if not available, capturing the bus number, route, time of day, pickup location and intended destination will assist us tremendously in resolving these matters.
In response to the concerns raised, we will conduct a series of re-sensitisation sessions in collaboration with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities, targeting all staff members. We will also ensure that all buses display our ‘Report It’ stickers, to ensure that the public bring these matters to our attention swiftly.
The JUTC thanks the public for putting their trust in us, and we hope to always provide the best service there is in public transportation.
JAMAICA URBAN TRANSIT
COMPANY LIMITED